Anthony Lacey

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July 18, 2022

To defend climate rules, agencies may need to downplay their significance

Environmental law experts are outlining how federal agencies might defend their ability to enforce climate regulations, following a controversial Supreme Court decision that limits government-mandated cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

One potential defense the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies could offer is to argue that their climate rules are incremental and do not transform economic sectors, a group of former EPA officials and other environmental experts said last week during a public webinar.

The United States Supreme Court Building in Washington D.C.

June 30, 2022

Supreme Court ruling in EPA case sparks fear in environmental advocates

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday to significantly limit the power of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate power plant greenhouse gases, a decision that environmental advocates fear will not only contribute to more harmful climate change, but also restrict other environmental regulation needed to protect health.

In its opinion in West Virginia v. EPA, the court’s 6-3 conservative majority said the EPA erred in claiming “unheralded” authority from an EPA rule finalized during President Barack Obama’s administration. That rule sought to shift the energy sector from coal-fired power plants to lower-emitting sources such as natural gas or other more environmentally friendly options, such as solar. Although the agency finalized the rule, it was prevented from going into effect.

June 23, 2022

A history of deadly chemical facility disasters prompts calls for EPA to help

When the explosions shook her North Carolina home, Jazmine Webster wasted no time racing outside to investigate the series of loud booms that rattled her Winston-Salem neighborhood one late January evening.

The billowing smoke Webster witnessed pointed clearly to the culprit – the Winston Weaver Co., Inc. fertilizer plant a few blocks from her home was on fire. Along with the smoke, Webster could smell something unusual in the air, “definitely a chemical,” she recalled in a recent interview.

June 17, 2022

EPA fends off critics claiming PFAS health levels premature before advisors complete review

Countering its critics, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is defending the release of much stricter drinking water health advisories for two notorious “forever chemicals” known as PFAS before a key science advisory panel finishes reviewing studies of the chemicals.

The agency on June 15 issued updated interim lifetime health advisories (LHAs) for the forever chemicals PFOA and PFOS, alongside final LHAs for PFBS and GenX. The PFOS advisory is 0.02 parts per trillion (ppt) and the PFOA advisory is 0.004 ppt, both dramatically lower than the prior EPA advisory, set in 2016, established at 70 ppt for combined PFOA and PFOS.

June 16, 2022

PG&E critics eye pressure on California PUC nominees to advance call for utility reform

Clean energy advocates are urging sweeping reform of California’s monopoly utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and claiming decades of misguided power investments that hiked ratepayers’ energy bills, and they are looking to a state Senate nomination fight to advance their call.

During a Thursday press briefing, representatives from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), former California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) President Loretta Lynch, and energy expert Bill Powers said PG&E has wasted billions on old, centralized power systems, tried to stymie clean energy like rooftop solar, and passed the costs of destructive wildfires it caused on to ratepayers via higher bills.

June 15, 2022

EPA’s strict PFAS health advisories justify calls for swifter regulation, environmentalists say

The Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement of four strict advisories for when levels of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in drinking water can harm human health are welcome, but also justify calls for the agency to move faster on regulating PFAS, environmentalists say.

The non-binding, non-regulatory advisory levels, announced Wednesday, provide information to state agencies and others on drinking water contamination. The advisories identify levels of PFAS in drinking water to protect people from harm after a lifetime of exposure to the chemicals.

June 14, 2022

Facing tight budgets, states ask Congress for $636 million to protect environmental programs

Warning that some of their budgets are at a breaking point, state environmental agencies are urging Congress to provide more than $636 million in fiscal year 2023 funding to ensure the viability of key programs to protect air and water, handle waste, and fight the climate crisis.

Congress has not increased the amount it provides in dedicated grants to assist states’ work in 20 years, and the limited funding is having adverse impacts, states say. For example, some states are unable to adequately monitor air pollution from increased wildfires, says the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), which represents all state environmental agencies. Wildfires are expected to grow in size and severity due to the climate crisis.

June 13, 2022

EPA prioritizes PFAS, equity for $6.5 billion water infrastructure funding

The Environmental Protection Agency is offering up to $6.5 billion in funding to support water infrastructure projects around the United States, prioritizing work that tackles the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS and promotes environmental justice.

The targeted funding, announced Monday, highlights two of the Biden administration’s policy goals. A total of $5.5 billion will be available through the EPA’s Water Infrastructure and Innovation Act fund and a further $1 billion provided by the agency’s State Infrastructure Financing Authority program.

June 6, 2022

EPA’s biofuel targets are not achievable, refiners say

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new biofuels production targets announced last week are unachievable and “bewildering” given already high fuel costs, according to leading refinery industry players.

In the renewable fuel standard (RFS) rule unveiled on Friday, the EPA established a total renewable fuel goal for 2022 at 20.63 billion gallons. The agency also set a cellulosic biofuel goal at 0.63 billion gallons; a goal for biomass-based diesel at 2.76 billion gallons; and an advanced biofuel goal at 5.63 billion gallons.

May 13, 2022

Refineries’ benzene blight of fenceline communities spurs call for EPA enforcement

Almost half of all U.S. oil refineries are emitting benzene at levels known to cause long-term health harms to communities living within a few miles of the facilities, according to a new report from environmentalists who say stricter Environmental Protection Agency enforcement and monitoring is needed.

The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and other clean air advocacy groups on Thursday unveiled a new report and map based on refinery data from January 2018 to December 2021 showing emissions of benzene, a hazardous air pollutant that can cause health problems from immune system damage to leukemia.